'Public Access'—More Than Your Run of the Mill Comedy Show

Remember those low-production value public access cable channel shows from the early '80s? Well, Public Access: A Live Sketch Comedy Show, currently running at West Hollywood’s Meta Theater on Melrose Avenue, takes it to a whole new level.

“We use this concept to tie all the sketches together – a late night movie, an interview show, and so on,” said Peter Robins-Brown, the jack-of-all-trades creator, who deems himself the writer/director/producer/sound engineer/and lighting guy for the project.

The show is put out by a variety of talented actors, who run through a slew of comedic situations. There are jabs at the job market, with edgy infomercials and comical skits.

Standouts include a lackluster employee who is replaced by a cow, an insecure news anchor who struggles to introduce the show, a paleontologist with an affection for bones named Dr. Terrier (the last r is silent), and a priest who performs exorcisms and goes by the name, “The Exerciser.” 

“Not that it's the most novel idea of all time or anything, but instead of doing the usual Groundlings and SNL type of sketches, we do more of a British-style, absurdist comedy," said Robins-Brown. He references such notable UK series as Monty Python and The Benny Hill Show.

“It’s a bit more conceptual and you have to closely follow the dialogue and voice over aspects of the show, as opposed to a more blatant, in your face, slapstick style. We switch new sketches in and out every performance," Robins-Brown added.

He tells Patch that he would like to believe that this is one of the more thought-provoking sketch comedies to recently come around. "I think you'll see that it is a show that not only makes you laugh, but pushes your boundaries and expectations as an audience member,” he said.

As far as upcoming performances, Robins-Brown says in order to make things bigger and better, the show will be taking a brief hiatus to reformat and will begin again in August and continue on the last Thursday of every month.

Check the Public Access Facebook page for the complete schedule and updates. Ticket prices are $5 and include free beer before the show starts.